Outlet-box.



A. 1. APPLETON & 0. c. HOFFMANN.

OUTLET BOX.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1905.

Patented Mar.- 1,1910.

in i i i" lllllli [NVLNTORS UNITED STATEQPATENT .onn on.

ALBERT'I. APPLETON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND 013110 0. -HOFFMANN, FBUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOBS T0 CHICAGO FUSE WIRE 8g MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY,

or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.-

QUTLET-BOX.

To attwhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Auiuu'r I. Arrnnrox and ()rro G. IIOFFMANN,citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago and Buffalo, in thecounties of Cook and Eric and States of Illinois and New York, have in-.vented new and useful Improvements in Outlet-Boxes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to junction boxes of the ty e now in common usein equipping a bui ding with an electric lighting system, as forinstance, those adapted to be mounted in the wall of a room and toreceive and support switches, fuses, wire joints, etc.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction of such boxeswith respect to the means whereby they are secured to the supportingstructure.

In installing junction boxes of this character, the forward edge shouldbe approximately in the same plane or bear some depth relation to thesurface of the laster. How- 2 ,ever, the plaster itself aifor s aninsecure support for the box, and if nails or screws were driven into orthrough the plaster and into the lathing or other woodwork, the plasterwould probably be cracked or broken away adjacent to the opening for thebox. '0 therefore provide means .for securing the box directly to thewoodwork and since different conditions prevail in each installationwith respect to the thickness of the plaster and the arrangement of thewood-' work, we make this securing means adjustable relatively to thebox itself. For this purpose we employ a pair of ears or brackets ofpeculiar shape. such that they can be sccured to the box in variouspositions, affording a wide range of adjustment and when -the pro erpositions have been found and the brackets secured to the box, thebrackets may be fastened to the woodwork in a mam ner best suited to thesupport of the box. It is further understood that these boxes are almostwholly used in flush work, where the box itself is embedded in the wallof the building, and they either come to the surface or approach thesurface more or less closely. It is to this end that we have devisedadjustable ears or box supports,

which mav have a slotted attachment to the box itself. This affords acertain amount of adjustment which is doubled 0r trebled Specification.of Letters Patent. Application filed November 29, 1965. Serial No.289,582.

Patented Mar.

. by the fact that these cars are also reversible, with reference to thebox. One method of securing this double adjustment is described herein.By this means a great variety of wall parts or arts of the wallstructureare available or the support of the box in any of its required positionsor any of its required depths.

Figure -1, is a side elevation of a un t SlIQWIII the ear in two of itspositions. Fig. 2, is a detail showin the ear reversed. Fig. 3,- is anelevation ta en at 90 from thatof Fig. 2: Fig. 4, is a viewof the earreversed on the box. a

Referring to the drawings, the box is of rectangular form and of suchsize and shape as is best adapted for the use to which it is to be put.It is preferably formed of one or more sheet metal blanks which are outto the desired shape andbent to form the walls of the box A. At theupper edge, ears C ma be provided integral with the side walls an bentso that their upper faces lie approximately in the plane of the 'topofthe ox; these cars may have threaded openings therethrough by which thecover plate may be secured thereto. The walls of the box have openings Hthcrethrough for entrance of the electric conductors and plugs H forthe-unused openings.

Adjustably secured to each of two opposite sides of the box is a bracketE having a body portion and a flange turned at substantially a rightangle to the body. body is a long slot 0 extending lengthwise -thereofand a screw f is adapted to extend through this slot and into a threadedopening in the wall of the box and thus secure the bracket to the box inthe positions illustrated in Fig. 1 (see dotted lines) or in that ofFig. 2, or in any osition intermediate of those two, or at. an a gle.The box may also be supplied with the usual switch sup orting ears. Our'invention applies to any orm of switch box.

In installin the box, an opening is made In the in the wall 0 sutlicientsize for the box to. r

determines the position of the brackets relative to the boxwhich isnecessary to supportthe box in the proper osition. This can beconveniently done by 00s in Fig. 4. In this way,

. the opening for the ears will compensate f holding the ears, insertingthe box in the opening and pressing the ears back until in position eare of considerable len th and considerable aiibrded-as to position,sufficient to provide for the varying thicknesses of plastering. 'Ifthis is not sufficient, however, an increased range can be obtained byloosening the screws f removing the brackets E and reversing same, asillustrated the brackets can be secured to the box either wa thus givingtwo adjustments additional to those afforded by slots e. I

By this construction, the securin devices for the box are a plieddirectly to t e woodwork 'so that brea lnn of the plastering about boxis avoided and the boxes can be rigidly and permanently secured in thedesired position, as fo'i' instance, that in which the top of the boxlies in the planeof the surface of the plastering, even though thethickness of the lastering varies to a considerable extent. urtherrnore,in cases where it is necessary to cut away woodwork to receive thesecurin means for a box, the depth of these cuts oes not have to beaccurately gaged as the adjustment of the for any inaccuracies.

adjustment is thereby 'c1ain1 as new and desire to secure'by LettersPatent is:

a 1.- A junction box having brackets at the sides thereof," saidbrackets having slots therein, and screws extending through said slotsand entering threaded openings in the sides of the box, said bracketshaving outwardly extending portions formed to facilitate securing themto the woodwork of the supporting structure.

2.- X 1unction box provided with brackets each having two integralportion'sone turned at an angle to the other, and means for securineither of the to a s1de wall of the box.

3. A junction box provided with brackets each having two integralportions one turned at ,an angle to the other and having a slot therein,and means adapted to co-act with said slots to adjustably'secure theportions of said brackets havin the slots therein to the side walls ofthe 0x or.to secure the other portions of said brackets to the sidewalls .of the box.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

. ALBERT I. APPLETON. OTTO c. HOFFMANN.

Witnesses: W. WV. MERRILL,

R. D. DANA.

Having described our invention, what we two portions of a bracket

